Rising security risks, and demand for "seamless and secure access across any device, anytime" has triggered greater adoption of authentication solutions, according to new research from SafeNet, Inc.

The 2014 Global Annual Authentication Survey found that over one third (37%) of organisations now use multi-factor authentication for access across multiple devices and locations, which is an increase from the 30% recorded in 2013.

SafeNet also cited a separate recent report by 451 Research, which said that access control and authentication are the top "pain points" for IT departments.

With 57% of all data breaches in 2013 the result of malicious outsiders , multi-factor authentication reduces the risk of unauthorised users accessing sensitive information, while still ensuring staff can access corporate resources when and how they need them," SafeNet said in a statement.

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SafeNet's survey found that 56% of organisations expect the majority of their users to rely on multi-factor authentication by 2016. Some 33% indicated they preferred cloud-based authentication, up from 21% last year. More than 53% of respondents said users of mobile devices have restricted access to corporate resources. Those using MFA for mobile users (22%, currently) expect usage to grow to 33% by 2016.

"It's clear that some IT departments are struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of change caused by new technologies," said Jason Hart, vice president, Cloud Solutions at SafeNet.

"The danger is that companies are unable to offer staff the full system access they require to perform their job because they don't have the secure authentication in place to allow access. Then there's the fact that almost every other week we hear about a new enterprise being hacked and data potentially leaked. So there is a perpetual battle to keep up with fast-paced advances in technology, and attempts to protect the company and curb security risks."